Rong Jiawang
Rong Jiawang (荣佳王) (XX XX 1917-XX XX 2004) was a Tabi'atstani politician who was the sixth leader of the USSRT and a Lieutenant General of the Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Army Ground Force who served two terms as Chairman of the Supreme Legislative People's Council of Tabi'atstan from 1973 to 1983. His rule saw a return to the days of party privilege, and he sent the military to crush PMT rebels as he did not consider negotiation as an option in dealing with the situation. Rong's last years in power saw an increase in arms production to counter the US rollback of detente and increase in arms production under Ronald Reagan. Early life and education Military career Chairman of the Supreme Legislative People's Council One of Rong's first acts as chairman was to reform the military, specifically in an attempt to end hazing (sometimes called dedovshchina in Russian). Noting that the practice of hazing was a major source of poor morale and discouraging educated Tabi'atstanis from volunteering to join the armed forces, Rong viewed it as a serious problem, despite never having suffered it due to the fact that he had been trained as an officer. To counter hazing, Rong used a multi-part system. Firstly, he declared the it to be "an anti-socialist elitist criminal practice", thus politicising the issue and putting prevention of hazing under the purview of military commissars. Secondly, he made clear that any commissar found to ignore the issue would be subject to investigation by the Ministry of Internal Security. Again making use of the politicisation of the issue, Rong announced that the entire overall project would also be overseen by the GKSB, as there was some concern about the reliability of MIS personnel due to fears that they might be attacked by members of the various Tabi'atstani paramilitaries or the armed forces. A law was hastily passed making hazing a criminal offence under military law in November 1973. Furthermore, criminals were barred from conscription into the armed forces, instead being shunted into construction brigades originally created for conscientious objectors (starting in the 1950s, citizens with criminal records were included in the draft due to the demographic pressures of the postwar era), and mandatory talks were held for units espousing the virtues of positive camaraderie and conscientiousness. As a result, by 1977 reports of hazing had been reduced to a negligible level, with the practice being looked upon as a shame for military units instead of a tradition, although the program also resulted in the conviction of 18,000 people found to be involved in hazing or covering incidents up. Punishments ranged from reprimands to prison or hard labour depending on the severity of the incident. Rong also had to deal with the new threat of the People's Mujahedin of Tabi'atstan, and decided to use the military to crush the PMT without any thought of negotiating with them. As the conflict continued, he placed less emphasis on it to the point that the number of resources being allocated to destroy the PMT was simply insufficient for the task. Rong would later explain that he relished the idea of the TRA fighting a continous war, feeling that it would maintain soldiers' combat skills and keep the military from becoming complacent. Legacy One of Rong's greatest lasting effects on Tabi'atstani history was the rollback to somewhat conservative social values under his rule. In particular, traditional concepts of class structures in Tabi'atstani society and xenophobic racism (particularly towards the Laltofians and the Japanese) began to make a comeback. On the other hand, there was little to no effect on other social issues such as the growing acceptance of Western culture or homosexuality, the latter already being considered not unusual in the immediate aftermath of the Tabi'atstani Civil War. Unlike in the Soviet Union, where simply being a member of the nomenklatura made a citizen part of a new de facto upper class, Tabi'atstani society became stratified in a bizarre mix of traditional class views towards education and noble blood and the existing structure of nomenklatura, apparatchiks, and labourers. Hence, members of the nomenklatura who were descended from a group typically thought of as low class (e.g. petty merchants) might be looked down upon compared with a labourer who showed himself to be well learned and descended from the old nobility of one of the Tabi'atstani states that existed prior to the formation of the USSRT. Personality traits and family Rong's two main passions were aquaculture and driving foreign cars. He was particularly enthusiastic in breeding Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), and was known to enjoy the challenge of raising hybrid fry of Siamese fighting fish and emerald green bettas (Betta smaragdina). Rong was sometimes gifted cars by foreign leaders of state and often drove them between his dacha and the Palace of the People's Revolutionary Leadership. His collection of cars included: *Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupé Hardtop *1966 Chrysler 300 (non-letter series) *Citroën SM *1973 Lincoln Continental *Maserati Quattroporte I AM107 *Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 *Mercedes-Benz 450SL *Mercedes-Benz 600 *Opel Kapitän *Renault 16 *1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow *Zastava 1100 *ZIL-114 He also collected art and antiques. Category:Tabi'atstan Category:Tabi'atstani Category:Military of Tabi'atstan Category:Presidents of the USSRT Category:Politics of Tabi'atstan